Evangelist Billy Graham, who preached justice and equality, has gone home to be with God at age 99

President Obama met and prayed with the Rev. Billy Graham in 2010 (Photo Credit: Souza/AP)

Reverend Billy Graham, a stalwart in Christendom who regarded Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a friend and advised President Barack Obama, has gone home to be with the Lord.

A crusader for justice and a passionate preacher of the gospel, the ministry of the giant in the Kingdom of God has touched people of all races, cultures, creeds and religions.

"Racial or ethnic prejudice is a sin in the eyes of God, and no Christian should allow his or her heart to be filled with prejudice," said Graham, who often spoke out against hatred and prejudice. His message of love, unity and faith in Jesus Christ empowered many believers in his lifetime.

The man who transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counselor to several presidents, was the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history.

Spokesman Mark DeMoss says Graham, who long suffered from cancer, pneumonia and other ailments, transitioned at his home in North Carolina on Wednesday morning. He was 99.

Graham reached more than 200 million through his appearances and millions more through his pioneering use of television and radio. Unlike many traditional evangelists, he abandoned narrow fundamentalism to engage broader society.

"My home is in Heaven," Graham often said. "I'm just traveling through this world."